Muraho Kigali!

So after 42 hours travel time (Amy), and 24 (Cait), we were (no surprise) exhausted by the time we arrived in Kigali. When I arrived at the border patrol, the man asked me if I was volunteering, and of course I answered yes. He told me that I needed a visa (which I didn't apply for as advised by the embassy and the organization). Oh crap, now I'll be deported or detained. Luckily he let me in anyway, but told me I should get the organization to get a work visa for me. After asking the coordinator here, she said, oh no, he doesn't know what he's talking about. I guess someone in uniform doesn't necessarily mean qualified. I did have a warm welcome from the driver though, who held up a sign with my name on it. After speaking french to him for about 5 minutes, he told me he only spoke a little English and Kinyarwanda (the local language). Oops. Anyways, managed to get to the hotel, after passing some armed guards at the airport, and the room was definitely better than expected. Amy and I each had a twin bed, mosquito net, and even a connected bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower (by shower I mean a small square plastic platform to stand on and tiny shower head that drips cold water)-at least it's better than a bucket of water. After venturing into town today, the poverty, development, and way of life is becoming a little clearer. Our program coordinator took us on a public bus, which did not have the most pleasant smells or comfortable seats, but is definitely the affordable choice (other than walking) at about 20 cents per ride. The city was busy, bustling, dirty, confusing, and thrilling. It was jam-packed with all types of stores, vendors, and people selling everything you could imagine. We went into the 'mall' where we met up with another volunteer at a coffee shop to hear his take on this new place. After describing his difficulties and successes with volunteering here, he took us to this incredibly western looking grocery where we bought a Kinyarwanda/English dictionary, some peanut butter and crackers, and cheap cell phones ($17 for the phone, charger, and start-up minutes). After our adventure in town (mom and dad, don't worry), we took moto's home. They are like motorcycle/taxis where the guy carries an extra helmut, you just hop on the back and hold on while they weave in an out of the foot and car traffic. A very exciting end to our day. When we got back, the cook here at the hotel made a delicious dinner of rice, fries, green beans and carrots, lentils, and beef in some sort of stew. Amy and I probably only ate half the plates, and mentioned it feels strange to be throwing away food in a place where there are so many people going hungry. At any rate, we had a pretty awesome first day out in Kigali, and are both thoroughly excited about making this place our home for the next 2 months.

More pics coming soon :)